Returning Foreigners... KOSPI Closes Higher

Semiconductors Up, Secondary Batteries Down

Foreign capital inflows continued for the second consecutive day, leading the KOSPI index to close higher. While semiconductor stocks drove the rally, secondary battery stocks, which rose early in the session, turned to a decline.

Securities company app, stock trading scene. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

On the 18th, the KOSPI closed at 2,763.92, up 19.82 points (0.72%) from the previous trading day. The index opened at 2,765.70, up 21.60 points (0.79%), maintaining an upward trend. Foreign investors net purchased 637.2 billion KRW worth of stocks, while institutions and individuals sold 220.7 billion KRW and 349.7 billion KRW worth, respectively.

Among the top market capitalization stocks, SK Hynix (5.16%), Samsung Electronics (2.18%), Hyundai Motor (1.62%), and Kia (1.47%) rose. Conversely, POSCO Future M (-1.90%), LG Energy Solution (-1.63%), Samsung SDI (-1.57%), KB Financial Group (-1.15%), and Shinhan Financial Group (-1.08%) declined.

By sector, electric and gas utilities (2.44%), electrical and electronics (1.88%), transportation and warehousing (1.74%), securities (1.33%), and insurance (1.17%) sectors rose. Meanwhile, chemicals (-1.01%), textiles and apparel (-0.56%), distribution (-0.56%), and food and beverages (-0.45%) sectors fell.

The KOSDAQ index recorded 858.95, down 0.01 points (0.00%) from the previous session. The index opened at 863.32, up 4.36 points (0.51%), but failed to maintain momentum. The net selling by foreign investors and institutions had a significant impact. Individuals purchased 28.8 billion KRW worth, but foreign investors and institutions net sold 16.8 billion KRW and 2.3 billion KRW worth, respectively.

Among the top market capitalization stocks, Samchundang Pharmaceutical (16.17%), Ligand Chem Bio (5.27%), Silicon Two (4.59%), Dongjin Semichem (3.56%), and Daewoo Electronics Materials (2.99%) closed higher. On the other hand, EO Technics (-3.73%), EcoPro BM (-3.67%), EcoPro (-3.09%), Enchem (-2.36%), Hugel (-1.93%), and Lino Industrial (-1.69%) declined.

Lee Jaewon, a researcher at Shinhan Investment Corp., noted, "Foreign capital, which had shifted to a wait-and-see stance the previous day, flowed in again," adding, "Large-cap stocks with high market capitalization hit new highs, driving the index upward."

In the Seoul foreign exchange market on the same day, the won-dollar exchange rate closed at 1,381.1 won, down 0.1 won from the previous trading day.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.